Conditioned Love
by KaliAnn
Summary: AU. Bumi often wondered why his parents stopped talking to his Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang. Nor why he felt such a strong connection with his cousin Kya. After retiring from the United Forces, he finds a letter his father left behind for him. Upon reading it Bumi is shocked to learn the family secret. As well as having to face the truth that some people put conditions on love.


**This idea has been in my head for a while now and I thought it was time for me to get it out. This is slightly darker AU based on observations from the shows and graphic novels, along with information on the Avatar Wikia page. I hope readers like it.**

* * *

Bumi was running all over the tundra as he trained to become a warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. Though he was only eight, he had high hopes of one day becoming not only a warrior like his parents, Chief Sokka and Kyoshi Warrior Suki, he wanted to be a member of the United Forces so he could travel all over the world helping keep the peace.

To help increase his speed, the boy was recklessly jumping over several makeshift obstacles such as ice blocks and testing his balance on a series of frozen logs.

The boy smiled to himself as he completed the log section without losing his balance once. "Alright, one more obstacle and I'll have a new best time!" he cheered to himself.

The last obstacle was a long makeshift trench. He had spent most of the afternoon yesterday digging it while making sure it was big enough so he couldn't jump it easily.

The little boy ran at the trench, his legs getting into position to jump. He needed to time this right. Just another foot, jump now he thought. He leaped into the air certain he was going to clear the trench only to miss the edge and fall into the trench.

"NO! Oh stupid, stupid! How could I miss such an easy jump? Dad always makes it!"

There was a chuckle from above him. Chief Sokka was standing on the edge of the trench, smiling down at his son. "My legs are longer and springier then your stick legs son. You just need to grow some more."

"Dad, your back!" The little boy scrambled up in the snowbank, slipping backward a few times before he hauled himself up and tackled the man, very happy to see him.

Sokka ruffled the boy's hair and hugged him tightly. "Now this is the warm welcome I love to come home to. Did you behave for your mom?"

The little boy expression became bashful and kicked some snow on the ground. "I borrowed mom's fans without asking and lost one. She was so upset! All I wanted to do was practice with the weapons to become a great warrior. I didn't mean to lose the fan!"

Sokka said he understood it was an accident but reminded his son that he shouldn't have taken it without asking to begin with. He knew better than that. "Weapons are an extension of who we are as a warrior Bumi. It's part of our identity just as bending is part of your…uncle and aunt's identity."

There it was again. Whenever the subject of his Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara came up, Sokka would hesitant speaking about them or shut down completely.

Bumi wished he understood why. How could anyone hate being related to the greatest waterbender and the Avatar himself? They were the heroes of the world for ending the Hundred Year War! They had helped create the fifth nation, the United Republic of the Nations. It just didn't make sense to him.

Grandpa Hakoda had told him stories of how close Sokka had been with his sister and he was sad about how far apart they were now. Bumi's father had stopped speaking to his sister years ago and the boy didn't remember living in Republic City because they had moved back to the South Pole when he was a year old.

Noticing his son's unhappy expression, Sokka pulled two things out of his parka's pocket. "I got you some souvenirs. After surviving the ordeal of those silly leaders of the world meeting I got you this."

The child's eyes lit up in joy! "A book about your old sword master Piandao? Awesome!" the boy cheered. He glanced curiously at the other item, a folded up piece of paper. "What's that?"

Sokka explained it was a picture his three-year-old cousin Kya made for him. He had no idea how the little girl managed to slip in with his luggage. Unfolding the paper both males smiled widely. It was kid's picture of Sokka and Bumi saving Republic City and being called the greatest heroes ever.

"Kya's amazing, you know for a girl."

"Don't let your mom hear you say that or she'll make you eat those words."

* * *

A year and a half later, Suki took her son to Kyoshi Island to visit her family and fellow warriors. The boy was bouncing up and down in excitement. "This is so great! Can I dress up like dad when you taught him to fight Mom?"

"I think the face paint would make you look crazier than you are now," Suki said with a straight face. A few seconds later she laughed along with her son. He knew his mother liked to tease him about his rambunctious behavior.

Upon entering the village, they were pleasantly surprised to find out the village was throwing a party for them. Sort of a welcome back/meet your son party.

Half an hour later, Bumi was stuffing another sweet roll into his mouth when he saw a limber woman with gray eyes, about his mom's age, walk over. She was holding her right hand together with a girl about Bumi's age.

The girl was the spitting image of her mother except for her eyes were gold. The woman let go of her daughter's hand and did a few cartwheels before jumping up and flipping over Suki. "Well, what did you think? I can tell your son was impressed. His aura reminds me of his Uncle Aang for some reason."

Bumi didn't see his mom narrowing her eyes at Ty Lee for a few seconds. Her expression quickly morphed into one of delight. "You haven't changed at all Ty Lee. I think you'll be still doing acrobatics until your ninety."

"Ah, thanks! That's so nice and cheery for you to say. I'll like to introduce my daughter Kita. She's training to be a Kyoshi Warrior herself."

Bumi's eyebrows waggled in excitement! "You want to be a warrior too?"

Kita smiled before doing a somersault over to the boy and holding out her hand. "Yes, Mr. Bumi, I am going to be the best Kyoshi Warrior ever! Who needs fancy bending when you can beat them by just chi blocking them?"

"You know chi blocking? My mom's been trying to show me how to chi block, but I'm not getting the hang of it. Could you give me some pointers?"

"Sure, if you show me how to use your throwing knives. I need help in weapons practice." The two kids grabbed each other hands and ran off towards the dojo.

Both mothers' watched their children run along. They both had a look of pride in their eyes. "It's amazing how fast they grow up. Soon it will be them saving the world," remarked Suki.

"They'll be joined by Katara and Aang's daughter. Oh, you must be so excited for your sister in law. She's pregnant with her second child and an airbender, there's no doubt about it!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

Suki nodded tightly before changing the subject as she walked with her old friend throughout the town.

* * *

Bumi was so excited! His fourteenth birthday was today and he could finally go ice dodging! He had been waiting for this moment most of his life. He had been writing about the ritual to Kya for most of the year.

It took three weeks for mail from Republic City to reach the South Pole, especially during the colder months where the ice was packed tightly. Only yesterday had he received Kya's latest letter.

Bumi was rereading the letter as he waited for his father and grandfather to finish up some business.

 _Dear Bumi,_

 _I can't believe you get to go ice dodging with grandpa! Mom told me about the time she and daddy, joined your dad to do a variation of the ritual. I wish I was old enough to help you ice dodge. Mom says because I'm nine I couldn't help. I'm going to try to persuade her and daddy to visit you so I can watch. After all, Tenzin's four years old and hasn't even been to the South Pole once!"_

Bumi folded the letter back up and put it in his pocket. He wished Kya could be here to watch the ritual. He had never met his cousin in person, but her letters made him feel close to her. It was almost as if they were siblings instead of cousins.

A few minutes past before he spotted his dad and grandpa heading towards him. Surprisingly, he could vaguely see four other people with them. One of the smaller figures cried out, "BUMI!" before racing towards him.

He barely was able to brace himself as a little girl launched herself into his arms. He wobbled on his feet but didn't lose his balance. The little girl jumped back so he could look at her properly.

He recognized her immediately from a photo he had received last month. "Kya? Kya, I can't believe you're here!" He was so excited he forgot about the others until the Avatar spoke up.

"Your cousin is very persistent. She's been begging us for weeks now to come for a visit. We finally caved into our daughter's wishes."

Bumi bowed to his Uncle Aang, who replied he didn't have to do that. They hugged each other briefly. He then hugged his Aunt Katara, who ruffled his hair before telling him how they couldn't miss such an important moment in his life.

Sokka growled upon hearing those comments. He was clearly offended by the remarks. He opened his mouth to reply only for Hakoda shoot his son a look, which said keep silent now. This wasn't the time or place for whatever he wanted to say.

He turned to his daughter, giving her a warm smile. "I'm happy you and your family could make it down here. It's been ages since I've seen Kya. Not to mention a pleasure to meet my new grandson."

Kneeling down to Tenzin's level, he patted the small boy on his shoulders. "How are you enjoying the South Pole Tenzin? You must be excited to see where your mom grew up."

"The South Pole is much colder than I expected it to be." Hakoda blinked at how articulate and staid the four year old was.

After a few more minutes of catching up, it was finally time for Bumi's rite of passage. The family got into separate boats and sailed towards the ice field. The closer they got the bigger Bumi's grin was.

Arriving at the ice field, Bumi steered the small boat to the entrance in the field. He observed the field, looking for the best path to get through the field. Adjusting the sail, he started his run.

Bumi steered around the first few icebergs. As the current picked up, he used his speed and his sail so that when he approached two icebergs which were about to collide, he tilted the boat almost completely on its side to glide through the small gaps.

He was almost to the end of the field when the icebergs ahead of him crashed together formed a wall with no way to dodge around it. It was time to do something crazy to get over the wall.

Back with Kya, she was biting her lip in worry. "How is he going to get around the wall Mom?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't know sweetie. If he was a waterbender he could part the ice, but I just don't see how Bumi can get past this."

"He's Sokka's son, he'll do something crazy to finish this," Aang assured them.

Indeed, Bumi did something crazy. Using his speed, the angle of the iceberg tips, and sheer luck, the boy skipped out of the water, onto the icebergs, sailing across them and then over the top dropping into the open ocean.

"Whoooooooooooo! I did it! I did it! So long ice field, hello Mark of the Brave!" Pumping his fist in the air, he could already hear Kya's cheers and his grandpa's praises.

Once he got close enough to the other boat he was astonished that Aunt Katara had tears of joy in her eyes and that his uncle and Tenzin were clapping politely.

Bumi had never felt so proud of himself before. Waving like an idiot, he led the group back home for his birthday party. He couldn't wait to tell his mom about what happened.

* * *

Upon returning home, the teenager was surprised to see all his fellow warriors waiting to congratulate him on completing his rite of passage. Bumi excitedly told them about it. He added he felt as if he was sailing through the air on the back of a sky bison, once he went over the top of the iceberg.

"You tell the best stories Bumi!" one of his friends shouted.

"Yeah, if you don't make it as United Forces officer, you could spend your time telling tales for cash," another one stated. He tried to keep a straight face, but soon was laughing. "Then again, you would always be on the move to gain a new audience."

Bumi puffed out his chest and held his hands up as if he was receiving a big reward. "Yes, Bumi the Bard! You'll never hear the same story twice. Don't forget to pay me a few yuans if you want to get the highlighted version."

"Alright, everyone settle down. Who's hungry for my famous five flavor soup? I made extra!" Everyone cheered and hurried to the table to eat, except for Aang and Tenzin, who had brought vegetarian dumplings to eat.

The boys told Kya all about their warrior training and living in the Southern Water Tribe. The nine-year-old was captivated and mentioned impressive places in Republic City. Kya tugged on her brother's robes encouraging him to join in but he didn't.

Soon it was time for presents. Of course, Bumi's friends gave their friend his full wolf armor, shield, and the greaves and braces to protect his limbs in close combat. "Thanks for the armor. I really like that you put my face on the moon!"

Hakoda gave Bumi a small radio. His aunt and uncle gave him some new clothes while Kya's gift was a small picture frame with a picture of her. He loved it.

His favorite gifts were from his parents. He got his very own sword from Sokka, along with a male version of the Kyoshi Warrior outfit. "Whoa, thank you. Really, thank you. These are the best gifts ever!"

That night, Bumi was too excited to sleep. It was freezing cold outside and pitch black and he still wanted to go outside to train with his new sword. Deciding he could not wait until morning, he slipped out of his bedroom and started tiptoeing towards the door, only to stop when he heard voices shouting.

Inching closer, he could just make out his father saying, "- no right to say those words to Bumi! If you cared so much about his feelings you would have…"

"Sokka, calm down. You're going to wake the kids up if you get much louder," Hakoda chided to his son.

Bumi peeked into the main room, careful not to be seen. His aunt and uncle were sitting next to each other on a floor mat. Hakoda sat in a small chair with Sokka flanking him on the right and Suki on the left.

His parents' faces were intensely enraged, his grandpa's tired out, and his aunt and uncle had hurt expressions on their faces. Well, his aunt did anyways. His uncle expression was calm and serene.

"Sokka, please try to understand. I did what I thought was best."

"You mean what was the most convenient for you," he snapped back at his sister.

She looked at her father, her eyes pleading for help. "Dad, say something please?"

Hakoda folded his arms together and frowned at her. "Katara, what do you want me to say that you haven't heard before from me? I will always love you because I'm your father." He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead into his palm. The years were catching up with him.

In a tired and disappointed tone, he continued. "There are some things in life you just can't forgive others for. Did you really come for Bumi or you wanted me to meet your _son_ Tenzin?"

Katara opened her mouth to respond, before biting her lips. Seeing her distress, Aang spoke up for his wife. "We were planning on this visit for a few months now so you could meet Tenzin. It's been years since we've talked in person. We thought you would be happy to see us."

"We would have been happier if you had come to see Bumi's rite of passage, not make it an afterthought," Suki snapped back at him. She shook her head in displeasure.

"What happened to the both of you?" she whispered. "What happened to the friends I knew and the strangers you've become?"

Aang argued they hadn't changed at all. It was all of them who decided to break off all contact. "You've stayed in contact with all our other friends. When we do get together you spend time with them, but ignore us. Why haven't turned your back on them?"

"Because they don't know the truth Aang! If they did, I assure you, they would feel upset and ashamed of your actions as we do. I can't talk to you anymore. I'm going to bed."

Bumi scrambled back to his room and quickly shut the door. He held his breath, listening to make sure his dad hadn't seen him eavesdropping. When he heard him go into his bedroom, he slid down the door in relief.

"I wonder what Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang did which is unforgivable?" he whispered to himself.

* * *

As the years passed, Bumi and Kya continued to exchange letters. She told him about how her training was going and how the distant her father was getting, almost spending all his free time with Tenzin.

He told her about how happy his parents were when he got accepted into the United Forces. In his letters, he described what boot camp was like and where he traveled in the world, encouraging his cousin to do the same.

At the moment, Captain Bumi was preparing for a mission. The United Forces had been dispatched to the Hurricane Straights, where a large force of pirates attacked and looted passing ships.

The troops were all standing orderly on the deck waiting for their orders from their brave, friendly, and ingenious captain in the whole fleet.

"Alright, listen up people! The Hurricane Straight is treacherous and rough part of the sea. Hurricanes can form in a matter of hours in the open ocean which can sink a ship faster than you're earnings at the gambler tables. The only safe passage is through the straits and the pirates know that. We need to surprise them."

The captain looked over at his troops proudly before giving a roaring laugh. "Everyone, don't look so tense! I already have the best surprise planned for those scurvy knaves. The pirates are formidable no doubt about it. But they've never encountered a crazy genius like me!"

Midway through the straight, Pirate Captain Otom and his crew were anticipating their biggest score yet The United Nations thought they could stop them, well they would be highly embarrassed when their naval ship was captured!

A United Forces ship would allow the crew to plunder across the oceans without being captured by the law. The best part, the boats wouldn't know they were the enemy until they had already been disabled.

"Alright, shut up you lousy thugs and pay attention!" the pirate captain shouted at his crew. His cutlass sliced through the air nicking the skin of those closest to him.

"The United Forces think they can stop us from looting because they have a bigger ship then us. Well, as always say, the bigger the ship, the more loot to add to our treasure!"

The crew cheered already seeing the yuans in their eyes. Some whispered about buying private islands to swim in their treasure.

Captain Otom slammed his foot on the deck. "STOP TALKING YOU ROTTEN FISH! We're about to take on trained officers, more skilled than those semi-adequate security guards, we've dealt with until now.

We need to take out their benders as fast as possible, to disable them from using their main weapons on us. Keep some of the high ranking benders alive, you know the United Nations will pay extra to have them back."

The others nodded. Everyone knew the United Republic protected its benders with the ferocity of a mother Sabertooth moose.

"Dispatch the rest of the crew how you see fit and then load any precious cargo, such as weapons and cash, onto our boat. Once everything secured we sail the ship back to headquarters for a new paint job."

Soon the pirates were in position to take the ship. There was storm brewing out at sea. Any minute now, the United Forces ship should be sailing in.

Using his spyglass, the man chuckled as the slightly battered battleship came in view. The ship was partially damaged. Large dents littered the hull, while the stern of the ship appeared to have been struck by lightning. The deck was drenched thoroughly.

The ship's taken a bit of a beating. Repairs will take at least two weeks. Hmm, seems they must have lost a lot of crew members in the storm based on their numbers. Easy pickings, Captain Otom thought to himself.

At his signal, the crew started the attack by firing stolen missiles at the boat. The water exploded as they hit their target damaging the boat even more.

Two smaller boats, one on the portside and the other on starboard, motored over and propelled harpoons onto the deck, with a rope attached. The men in the smaller boats climbed up to the deck and started engaging with the United Forces soldiers.

After the first few minutes of fighting it was clear to the pirate crew the soldiers were exhausted or badly injured because the soldiers who were benders were only attacking the pirates with sub-rate moves. The nonbenders put up more of a fight, because of the adrenaline pumping in them to help them ignore their wounds.

A short time later Captain Otom was standing on the deck sneering at the soldiers. "This is the best the United Nation's had to offer? It's pathetic how easy taking your ship was for me."

One of the soldiers spoke up boldly. "You won't get away with this! The rest of the United Forces will put an end to your piracy!"

Captain Otom picked the man up and threw overboard still tied up. "Anyone else want to join him?" Nobody said anything. The pirate captain told his crew to lock the soldiers up in the brig and start loading the cargo onto their boat.

It took just past sunset to take the weapons, radios, and the men's pay from the battleship to the pirates hold. It was dangerous to sail the straight during the night so they would have dock near the shore for the night.

Captain Otom and his men went to bed that night with dreams of looting entire fleets of their property. They weren't worried about the soldiers getting loose and had taken every radio out of the boat so they couldn't signal for help.

It was after they went to sleep when Captain Bumi's plan came to life. The missing crew, popped out of hidden compartments in the cargo, armed and ready. They stole through the ship, while the soldiers liberated themselves from the brig with the keys they had hidden on their uniforms.

The ship hadn't gone through any storm. Instead, Captain Bumi had ordered them to damage the ship themselves. Several men had been told to act like they had serious injuries and the benders to pretend they weren't at full strength.

With the pirates lulled into believing they had won, it was easy to take them all by surprise during the middle of the night. They were all captured without any injury and Captain Bumi managed to get information out of Otom, where their hideout was to retrieve the other stolen merchandise.

Because of his unorthodox plan and cleverness, without the loss of a single soldier, (the soldier that had been thrown overboard had been a disguised waterbender), a celebration was thrown in his honor and he was promoted to Commander of the Second Division.

It was the proudest moment in his career. Both his parents were there to celebrate with him and in a rare treat, his cousins and their parents even showed up to congratulate him.

* * *

It was about a month after the Anti Bending Revolution when Bumi finally was ready to tackle something he had put off until he retired. His parents had died years earlier and their belongings had been put in storage. It was time to go through them and decide what to keep and what to donate to charity.

At the storage facility, the man lifted up the door to his unit and looked at the belongings with sadness. He turned to the woman next to him. "Thanks for helping me Kya. I don't think I could do this on my own."

Kya placed her hand on his right shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I understand. When my dad passed away it took a long time for my mom, brother, and I to go through everything. Where should we begin?"

"At the front of course! How else can we make it to the back?" he chortled earning a giggle from Kya.

The first few boxes contained items from the days when his parents set out to end the Hundred Year War. There was a silly hat, a playbill for a theater on Ember Island, and a silly picture of the gang right after the war ended.

"My dad always said he was a great artist, but seeing this I know why my mom would tease him about his art," he remarked to Kya. Once she saw the picture she had to agree with him.

A small pile began to form for charity items. Most of these were decorations or tableware. Smaller items from his childhood which held no nostalgia. Old clothes, well-worn furniture, and trinkets were also added to the pile.

An hour and a half later most of the stuff had been properly divided. There was a pile for items for things Bumi wanted to keep. He would come back later for them after he made space in his home for them. Kya had agreed to take the other pile to the charity drop after they finished up.

There was only one last item in the storage unit and Bumi couldn't remember ever seeing it before. It was a slightly battered keepsake chest which had carvings for both the Water Tribe and Air Nomads. Attached to the top of the chest was a note in his father's handwriting. It said in bold letters, **For Bumi. Do not open until you retire and your mom and I have passed.**

This is really weird. Why wouldn't Dad want me to open this until after he and mom died or when I retired? The key to the chest was attached on the backside of the note. He inserted the key into the lock and opened the chest.

He coughed and gagged as years of dust came out of the chest, followed by a musty dank smell. Once he could breathe properly, the first thing he noticed in the chest was an old diary.

He pulled it out and saw his Mom's name on it along with the word pregnant. "What is this?"

"Oh, I recognize this. It's pregnancy journal. Most midwives, including myself, advise women to keep one so we keep track of how well the pregnancy is going," Kya explained.

She opened the diary and read one entry out loud, "I am so excited! Katara confirmed we would be having our babies being born within days of each other. Sokka already planning the baby's training schedule. We decided on names today. If it's a girl, we'll name her Kyoshi. If it's a boy, we'll name him Bato."

Bumi frowned slightly as eyebrows rose in confusion. "Bato? Are you sure you're reading that right? I mean my name is Bumi, not Bato."

Kya shook her head. She tilted the diary so Bumi could see the diary for himself. The name Bato was clearly spelled out. "I wonder why they would change their minds."

"Bumi, look at this. Aunt Suki is talking about my mom being pregnant at the same time your mom was. That's not possible. I wasn't born until years later. This must mean I had an older sibling."

She's right, did I have another cousin at one point? If so, why has neither of us ever heard this before?

They flipped through a few more entries, but there were no more clues. It was a normal pregnancy and it seemed Katara's had been as well. Setting aside the diary, they pulled out two newborn outfits from the chest. One was blue and green, the other was blue and orange.

"Colors to match the heritage of the babies. Why are they here?"

"Kya, look. The blue and orange one is well worn, but the blue and green one looks as it was never worn. It doesn't make sense. If these were from when I was a newborn, why wouldn't I have worn out the correct one?"

"Something doesn't seem right Bumi. What else is in the chest?"

Bumi pulled out a small raft, the right size for a baby with a blanket on it. The name Bato was sewn on. "This is…is…is a funeral raft for babies who die in their first year of life! This shouldn't be here! The bodies are always launched out to the ocean to become one with Tu and La."

Kya slipped her hand inside the chest and pulled out a small stack of photos. The pictures showed Katara and Suki side by side each month of their pregnancies. The last photo showed both women holding a baby boy

The woman's eyes widened. The boy her mother was holding was clearly Bumi because of his lighter skin tone. Suki was holding a baby with the darker skin tone of the Water Tribe. She flipped the photo over and clearly written on the back was the mother's name and who they were holding.

"Bumi look! This is a photo taken on the day of your birth! Aunt Suki is holding a baby boy named Bato, while mine has you in her arms!"

The madman looked at the photo and felt his chest get tight and the inkling of something which had to be wrong.

The last two items in the chest were a packet and a letter. Opening the packet he pulled out five documents. Three of them were birth certificates and the other two were death certificates.

Bumi trembled as he showed Kya the documents. One of the birth certificates was for a baby named Bato, but there were two certificates for Bumi. One was issued on his birthday and the other was issued a week later. The name of the parents was whited out on the first certificate, but clearly on the second were the names Sokka and Suki.

The two death certificates were also issued a week apart. One for Bato, one for Bumi.

Kya sucked in her breath. She was also starting to get an idea of what was going on. She also hoped it wouldn't be true. She held her breath as Bumi opened the letter. What they both read shocked them to the core.

 _"Dear Bumi, if you are reading this now then your mother and I have both passed away and you've retired from the United Forces. I debated whether I should reveal the family secret to you, but in the end, I was resolved to let the truth come out because you needed to hear it._

 _The first thing I have to say is the most important. Your mother and I love you unconditionally. We never regretted raising you son and nothing will ever change that. What you are about to read will be very painful and confuse you a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if you stay angry for a long time._

 _The reason we stopped talking to Katara and Aang while letting Kya send you letters, is about you. The scant visits were also about you. The family secret has to do with you._

 _As you've discovered by now, your mother and I were expecting a baby at the same time Katara was. At the time we were living in Republic City. I was the Head of the Council and Suki was a self-defense teacher. Katara was working as a renowned healer at the hospital while Aang was doing his Avatar duties._

 _Katara gave birth first and a few hours later Suki gave birth. All of us were excited and couldn't wait to raise you both. Unfortunately, a tragedy happened the next morning._

 _Upon awakening, we discovered our baby had died sometime in the night while he slept. We never discovered why and it left us heartbroken. We were preparing for the funeral when something shocking and unforgivable happened.  
_

 _Aang and Katara told us they would be happy to give their child to us. All airbenders start bending within the first week of being born and since the child didn't look anything like a Water Tribe baby, they knew he was a nonbender._

 _I was furious beyond belief. Here, we were preparing for a funeral for my son Bato, and my sister and her husband had the gall to decide they didn't want their precious child? The child they had been happily planning for and were going to name after Aang's friend Bumi, was discarded because he was believed to be a nonbender?_

 _Yes Bumi, your birth parents were your aunt and uncle. Even though your mother and I argued with them, even your grandpa Hakoda voiced his opinion on the matter, in the end, Aang went behind our backs and used his position to order the new birth and death certificates.  
_

 _We stayed in Republic City for a whole year, hoping Katara and Aang would realize they had made a mistake and would set the record straight, but they never did. I couldn't live in the same city as my sister and brother in law knowing what they had done. So we packed up and returned to the South knowing you would be accepted there whether you could bend or not._

 _Your grandfather and I couldn't forgive your birthparents. It was hypocritical of them, to accept non-benders as Air Acolytes and get diplomatically along with other members of society who were considered prestige, including ones without bending. If they could handle those situations why would it have been difficult to raise a nonbender?_

 _I was thankful when I learned they would allow Kya to exchange letters with you. I wanted you to have a connection with your siblings, and you had that with her. I tried to do the same with Tenzin without any results. He was too much like Aang._

 _I don't expect you to forgive Katara for what she did. Aang never apologized and I doubt Korra will ever access those specific memories, to say she is sorry for her previous life's actions. I know Kya will help you through this because that's what sisters' are supposed to do._

 _I love you Bumi and you'll always be my son. Never forget that. Sincerely Chief Sokka."_

The two cousins _no_ , siblings looked at each other. Neither one of them wanted to believe this was true. If it was; not only had they been lied to, but also, their parents were not the people they believed them to be.

"This has to be someone's idea of a sick joke. My parents, the _Avatar_ himself, wouldn't do something like this. It simply can't be true," Kya whispered so softly she could barely be heard.

"My dad might have exaggerated most of the time, be he never flat out lied to me. We have the proof in this chest that what he said happened was the truth," Bumi pointed out in a strained voice.

"This letter is a one-sided version of the truth. We should go to the source, and ask if this is true. If this had been a lie wouldn't have Aunt Toph discovered it long ago?'

So with a heavy heart, they took the keepsake chest with them as they went from the storage facility to the healing huts, promising the manager they would return later that day to clean up the mess they left.

* * *

Katara was just finishing up with a mother to be. "Your baby is strong and healthy. The rest of the pregnancy should be easy for you."

The mother to be smiled and replied kindly, "Thank you for your help Master Katara. I can't wait to hold my baby for the first time."

"It is a magical experience. Let me help you to the door." The old woman still had enough strength to escort her patient out. As she left, Kya and Bumi entered the hut.

"Kya, I'm so glad to see you. Did you and Bumi finish going through the storage unit? I know Sokka had a lot of knickknacks from his obsessive shopping. I'm glad you didn't inherit your father's obsession Bumi."

At the word father, Bumi tightened his grip on the chest in his arms. "About my father, he left me something important. Something you should take a look at." He handed her the letter.

Reading it Katara's skin started to lose color and her breathing hitched. She was trembling badly.

"Mom, please tell me this isn't true. You wouldn't do something like this right?" Kya begged. Her mom said nothing only looked at the ground in shame, her silence confirming the truth. "Oh La, it is true! Mom, how could you do this?"

Bumi was struggling to keep his breathing under control, but his heart was starting to shatter. It was true, he _was_ the eldest child of Avatar Aang and Master Katara. "Why? Why did you do this?" his voice cracked in pain.

Katara sat down and collected herself. "I did what I thought was best." She gestured for them to take a seat as she tried to explain her actions.

"When I found out I was pregnant, Aang and I were ecstatic. All the leaders of the five nations and the OWL were anticipating the arrival of a new airbender. Aang especially because he would no longer be the last airbender.

When Suki told me she was also pregnant I thought it was a blessing. Our children would grow up together becoming closer than cousins. A new generation of heroes."

"Then I was born along with Bato. What made you want to give me away?" Bumi probed. "You obviously had been preparing for my arrival and when I was born you must have been happy. What changed?"

Katara repeated the story of Sokka and Suki's son Bato dying in the night on Air Temple Island. She admitted it would have been better had the two women gave birth at a hospital, but they had both wanted a traditional home birth.

"Sokka and Suki were devastated. My brother begged me to figure out what had happened. I examined the baby's body but I even my vast healing skills, never found out what caused his death.

About an hour later, Suki started bleeding heavily. She was suffering from a postpartum hemorrhage. I did the best I could to stop the bleeding. It took a long time for a doctor to get to the island. By the time we stopped the bleeding, Suki's womb had been so badly scared, she wouldn't be able to conceive again.

I felt great anguish for my brother. I knew how much he had wanted a child. Suki was devastated by the events. They spent the rest of the day and the next with their son's body. I wanted to take their pain away."

Kya interrupted her mom, reminding her that she had taught her, the best thing to do after a death, was give patients the time they needed to mourn and emotionally heal. "They had just lost a child Mom. They had barely begun to mourn him when you decided to give Bumi up."

"I was only a few days old, how could you stop loving me so fast?"

Katara insisted that she still loved him. That Aang had thought it was a good idea because the Air Nomads always gave their babies away to other temples to raise. "He thought you would learn so much about your Water Tribe heritage and because you were a nonbender, Sokka would be a better father."

"Let me understand this. You gave me up without hesitation because I didn't bend air for the first few days of my life. That you decided based on my skin, I wouldn't be a waterbender. Because I was a nonbender you didn't want me?" Bumi said in an accusing tone.

"Mom, was that your main reason for giving up your first born? Because he couldn't bend? He was a newborn! You can't tell at that age whether he was a bender or not!"

"Aang had communed with his past lives. Yangchen agreed with his assessment. We were under enormous pressure to present a bending child to the world leaders, which we didn't have. I didn't think I could raise a child that couldn't bend.

Bending was a big part of our lives. Aang's people were all benders and he had felt as if he had failed them along with the world. I felt like I failed him. Neither of us knew what to do and I didn't want you Bumi to grow up in a family of benders, where you would resent your inability to bend your whole life.

I tried to explain these reasons to my brother. I told him I loved you Bumi. That all I was doing was giving you the best life I could. Neither he nor my father understood. They were both incredibly angry when Aang obtained the paperwork to make you officially Sokka's son Bumi.

I understood their initial feelings about taking care of you after losing their son. I was so devastated when my own died. The pain for a child losing a parent is nearly unbearable. The pain parents feel upon losing a child would be unbearable."

"Did you feel any pain when you gave me up?" Bumi demanded. He didn't let her respond. "All I'm hearing are excuses! Political pressure, cultural beliefs, and doubts? None of that excuses you giving me up because I wasn't a bender! Nor do any of those excuses cover what you did to my parents and the world. You lied about me being the one that died. You didn't even give my parents a chance to mourn their loss. That was the cruelest part of this!"

Katara tried to speak, but Bumi kept talking loudly. "My _parents_ loved me unconditionally, which is how it is supposed to be! Children are born a blank slate, not to match your expectations! Did you or the _Avatar_ ever regret what you did?"

Tears slid down Katara's face. "Yes, I regretted giving you up. I wanted to have you back but by then you had grown comfortable around Sokka and Suki. I didn't want to break up their family."

Bumi spat at her and answered coldly. "Regret means you knew what you were doing was wrong. The fact you didn't tell your other friends about your choice meant you felt guilty, but refused to do the right thing. You had no problem breaking up your own family or keeping secrets from us!"

Kya looked at her mother heartbroken. "How could you Mom? Why didn't you fight for Bumi or leave Dad, when he encouraged this? Was it because you were afraid of him or you loved him more than your son? If I hadn't been born a bender would you have given me up?"

"Of course not Kya. You're my precious baby girl. I could never give you up!"

"Then you should have done the same for Bumi! I have never been more ashamed of you then I am now. I noticed you sidestepped the question about Dad. He really didn't regret what happened. The Avatar is supposed to represent everyone's interests, not just benders."

"It's no wonder Amon was able to gather such a following and nearly wipe bending out. If the previous Avatar thought nonbenders were a waste of time, then why should other benders care about them?!"

Bumi stood up and curled his hands into fists. His entire body was raging in anger. "I will _never_ forgive you for this. What you did was the most unforgivable act a person can do. I never want to see you again!" he stormed out of the hut, hot tears dripping down his face.

Katara felt her heartbreaking for a second time. She turned to Kya, expecting her daughter to comfort her. Instead, Kya had folded her arms and looked at her with hatred. "I thought it was just Dad, who didn't have time for me because I wasn't an airbender. You said he still loved me and you did too. But now I see it was a lie."

"Kya…"

"I never mattered to Dad did I? It really was all about Tenzin and you just went along with along with it. What did you care as long as you had a waterbending daughter like you always wanted? I can't forgive you, Mom. Bumi's right, love is supposed to be unconditional. I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving."

Katara watched her beloved daughter, the one she named after her mother, walk out of her life. She fell to her knees and covered her eyes with her hands. "What have I done? What have I done?"

* * *

As the months passed, the two siblings traveled trying to find peace and figure out what they wanted to do next. They had debated about going to stay on Air Temple Island but voted against it. Kya had sent a letter to Tenzin explaining the truth.

Tenzin was shocked about the revelation and was disappointed in his parents for their actions. He offered to teach Bumi about his true heritage and what an Air Nomad should be like. Bumi had rejected his offer telling him he could keep his Air Nomad lifestyle as far away from him as possible.

It was two weeks after Harmonics Conversion. The two siblings were camping near the Southern Air Temple. Kya had suggested to Bumi since he couldn't confront Aang anymore, it might bring him some closure if let out all his anger and frustration at his father's statue.

"I've arranged for us to have access to the sanctuary tomorrow. The Acolytes will leave us alone." Kya had a distant look on her face. She looked up at the Southern Air Temple. "I also have frustrations I want to let out."

* * *

Bumi nodded as he poked the fire, watching the flames dance in the moonlight. His heart still felt hollow after learning the truth. He understood why his father had left him the letter but wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about it now.

"What if after this, I still don't feel any peace? Nothing can change the past. I just want to find a new purpose for my life. I need to do something instead of wallowing in anger and sadness."

"I feel the same way Bumi. It hurts Dad couldn't see our worth or Mom couldn't stand up to him."

The two were eating dinner when a small earthquake happened. The ground beneath them started to shake. The two fell to the ground as the shaking continued. The vibrations sent the hot coals tumbling into the forest, which started to burn.

Kya struggled to her feet and pulled the water from her waterskin. She started bending it, use water whips to submerge the coals to stop the fire from spreading.

There was another tremor as the earth beneath her feet started to shift away. Cracks in the ground were starting to appear. Kya let out a surprised gasp as the earth fell away as a large crack appeared under her feet.

She started to fall through the crack when a huge gust of wind picked her up and brought her back to safety. The earth stopped shaking as the woman struggled to breathe properly.

How in the world did I just survive that? Wind just doesn't appear like that naturally. Unless someone bent it, and that's impossible, she thought to herself.

"Bumi, did you see what just happened?" she asked. When he didn't answer she looked over at him. He was staring at his hands in disbelief and his entire body was rigid.

"I airbended," he whispered softly to himself. "Did I just really bend air?"

Kya heard him and was shocked. "Can you do it again? Without me being in danger?"

Bumi didn't know if he could. He tried, but nothing happened. He tried two more times and nothing happened. "Why isn't this working?" he shouted angrily to the sky. A sudden burst of air drove him backwards into the ground.

His sister ran over and pulled him up. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know. I've been a nonbender all my life and suddenly I can just airbend? What does this mean?"

"We'll ask the Acolytes tomorrow."

The next day the two siblings arrived at the temple and were greeted by Abbot Shung, the leader of the temple. "Welcome to the Southern Air Temple Miss Kya. It is an honor to have the daughter of Avatar Aang in our presences."

Bumi growled and Kya frowned heavily. "It is nice to be welcomed. I like to introduce you to Bumi here. He airbent last night even though he has been a nonbender all his life. We wanted to know if you knew why."

Abbot Shung gladly explained the situation. Since the end of Harmonic Convergence, many people all over the world had gained the gift of airbending because the Avatar left the portals opened.

It was a new age for the Air Nomads and if Avatar Aang was still around, he would be very proud meet all the new airbenders. "I'm sure Avatar Aang would have loved to teach you himself Bumi. Imagine, his nephew carrying on the family legacy."

Bumi stomped past the man and headed for the statue room. Kya started to follow, but then stopped. She turned back to Abbot Shung. "Avatar Aang should have been proud of his eldest _son_ and not pretended he was his nephew just because could not bend before." She didn't stick around to see the Acolytes facial expressions.

She found Bumi in the statue room yelling while throwing knives at Aang's statue. "Guess what _Dad_? I can airbend now! Whoop de do I'm finally what you wanted me to be. So am I now worthy of being your _son_ and _loved_?

I'm sick of hearing everyone praises you for reestablishing the Air Nomads! You wanted so badly to restore them you ignored anything that didn't help you! You thought you were the only one qualified enough to restore your culture. The same goes for teaching your Acolytes and even your precious Tenzin!

The truth is you were nothing but a jerk and bully! I can understand being bitter or feeling alone because I'm going through the same thing right now! It doesn't feel good.

It actually feels worse because you thought of me as a mistake! A punishment for abandoning the Air Nomads. You pawned me off to the man who was a real father so you wouldn't have to look at me and be reminded of your past.

I'm done with you. I'm going to learn airbending on my own and use it to help the nonbenders you neglected in favor of benders. One day the whole world will know you're not the saint you pretended to be!"

Bumi threw his last knife and it embedded deep into the statue's head. Angry tears fell down his face, as he sank to his knees in exhaustion. The feeling of hollowness was gone. He finally felt like himself again.

Hugging his sister tightly Bumi knew his purpose in life. To ensure nonbenders were loved by the families unconditionally by their parents. He never wanted anyone else to go through this pain ever again.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this story. While I expect some flames I like to explain my reasons for writing this. There is an old saying that a mother's love for her child is unconditional.**

 **However, every day there are stories about parents kicking out their kids because of their sexual orientation, the kids don't believe the same thing they do, or a number of other reasons. It's an unforgivable act to put conditions on a child to receive love from parents.**

 **I wanted to show that even if the world of the Avatar, this could also happen. While most would argue that Aang and Katara wouldn't do this, there is some evidence which supports this. Aang did feel like he was the only expert in Air Nomad culture and did heavily favor Tenzin.**

 **Katara also showed she had some disdain for nonbenders, due to her experiences with her brother. In the graphic novels The Rift, you saw how sad and unhappy she was to see nonbenders outperforming benders. In the end, both she and Aang could have done this based on the evidence.  
**


End file.
